Before I tear off the rear-view mirror and cruise happily into 2018, let me linger just a moment…
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Peace
Have a Safe New Year’s Eve!
At the ShrinersFest 2017
My personal favorite: The Ultimate Air Dogs
Peace
We went to the zoo to celebrate Olivia’s first day of summer vacation…
Afterward, we came back to Sonnystone and played…It’s nice to have PawPaw around to play clue and help with fairy wings…
Samantha spent a while working on her flying…
Missing the essential Pixie Dust, she didn’t quite lift off, but she persisted…I like that in a person…
Peace
We arrived back at Sonnystone early afternoon Thursday. You can read about our trip at My Travel Blog. Wink had traveled very well, (even alerting us to bear outside the camper one night!) but was glad to get back to his old box, as were we.
Saturday was Olivia’s Dance Recital (as well as the Preakness, which did not turn out well, but I don’t wanna talk about it). She has really improved and this year was her best. In fact, the whole (half) of the recital that I watched was better than the last few. It’s tough to get dancing pictures from the cheap seats without blur, but here’s my best of her best…
Didn’t I warn you about what happens when we go off-grid? While we were in the Smokies, the news cycle was Spinning, and when I came out of the no-news-zone it took several hours of reading to catch up with the chaos. I’m glad I missed it in real time. Reading it all summed up was anxiety-producing enough… Of course, those of you who watch faux news 24/7 don’t have any idea what I’m talking about…
Busy week ahead. The garden is growing strong. Check out the photos at My Garden Blog. Until we meet again…
Peace
Snow, Birds, and a touch of cuteness…
Winter decided to show us who’s the boss around here–for another week or so, at least–and snowed all over the bloomers… Whaddaya gonna do about it? Take pictures…
What I actually Like about snow happens at the birdfeeders. The birds just flock in. I love watching them…
I got out my bird book to identify a newcomer: See the little brown guy in the picture below? He’s an Eastern Towhee. They usually feed on the ground, but the snow brought him round to visit. The cardinals, chickadees, and finches are my usual crew.
The snow is now gone, but the danger to the plants and birds is even greater since the temperatures are hovering between 20 and 35. I read that March is the most dangerous month for birds, as their natural food sources are already emptied of berries and the ground is frozen. If you don’t already feed the birds, you ought to try it.
Here’s a little bit of Cute to warm you up…
Peace
If I didn’t have these wonderful week-ends in February and March to volunteer at the Orchid Escape, I would curl up in a ball and hibernate for winter…
Mesker Park Zoo and Botanical Garden works with our Master Gardeners Program and Evansville Orchid Society to present an orchid display extraordinaire every winter. Within the Zoo Grounds is Amazonia, a 20,000 square foot “greenhouse” that replicates the beauty and diversity of the South American rain forest. Palms soar to the 45-foot tall roof and create a lush tropical setting. Howler Monkeys and Toucans welcome visitors to their treetop homes. Tapirs and other exotic creatures wait around each bend in the trail that leads past a waterfall, across a bridge, winding down to the indoor-outdoor habitat of a pair of jaguars. It is a perfect setting to pack in orchids of many varieties. Many are grown there at the zoo; others have been flown in from Hawaii. Along with some moss art, bromeliads, anthurium, and a gorgeous bird-of-paradise, it’s a great place to hang out on the week-ends.
The show opened last Saturday and I was out there on Sunday morning. It is even More Lush this year—you Must drop by for a stroll…
The Moss-Men were so cool. We had the paddler last year, but the birdwatcher is new…
The best show of all, of course, are the orchids themselves…
Shed your winter blahs with a stroll through Amazonia, open 7 days a week, with the Orchid Escape going through March. I hope I see you there!
Peace
